Baffert unveils Argentine filly in Southern Truce Stakes
ARCADIA, Calif. – Campaigns intersect Sunday at Santa Anita, where a Group 1 winner on dirt, a Grade 2 winner on synthetic, and a Grade 3 winner on turf collide in the $75,000 Southern Truce Stakes for fillies and mares.
Vale Dori has not started since March in Dubai, but the Southern Truce is an ideal spot for her U.S. debut and her first start for new trainer Bob Baffert. A Group 1 winner in Argentina, Vale Dori has speed and increasingly stronger workouts.
“She’s been really blossoming the last 30 days,” Baffert said. “I want to give her a race here, get her going, and try to find out about her. It’s run here or wait for Del Mar and run against Beholder.”
Beholder and possibly Stellar Wind are pointing to the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch on July 30. Baffert will decide which direction to take with Vale Dori after the 1 1/16-mile Southern Truce.
“If she’s good enough, it might set her up for a stakes at Del Mar or somewhere else,” Baffert said.
Two other Southern Truce entrants, Living The Life and Belle Hill, will go in different directions. Living The Life’s main target is the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters, a $400,000 synthetic-surface sprint she won the last two years.
“That’s our Breeders’ Cup,” trainer Gary Mandella said. “Our goal all year has been to try to get back to Presque Isle. You don’t often have an opportunity to win a race of that magnitude three years in a row.”
Living The Life does more than just sprint on synthetic. She won a Grade 3 route against colts and geldings last out at Golden Gate Fields and in March finished third in a Grade 1 route on dirt at Santa Anita.
Belle Hill will make her first start since winning a Grade 3 turf mile in October. It also is her first start for trainer Richard Mandella.
“I have a feeling she is a better turf horse, looking at her record,” Mandella said. “She’s ready to run, and if I had a turf race, I’d do it. But I’d like to get her started and see where I’m at.”
The field for the Southern Truce, the last of nine races Sunday, also includes Divina Comedia, Gloryzapper, Jolene, Show Stealer, and Moyo Honey.
KEY CONTENDERS
Vale Dori, by Asiatic Boy
◗ She ran well in both of her starts in Dubai, finishing second in a Grade 3 for fillies and a close fourth in the Grade 2 UAE Derby won by Lani. She has won 2 of 5.
◗ Vale Dori, whose only pace rival is Gloryzapper, will be ridden by Rafael Bejarano. Baffert and Bejarano entered the weekend 6 for 13 together in the past month.
Living The Life, by Footstepsinthesand
Last 3 Beyers: 95-83-93
◗ A 10-time winner from 33 starts, Living The Life won the Grade 3 All American last out against males and has earned $948,049.
◗ Gary Mandella plans to start Living The Life once during the summer, possibly in the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo on Aug. 17 at Del Mar, prior to the $400,000 Masters at Presque Isle on Sept. 19.
Belle Hill, by Sky Mesa
Last 3 Beyers: 92-84-71
◗ She won 5 of 7 for former trainer Larry Ross, including three stakes at Emerald Downs and a Grade 3 in fall at Santa Anita.
◗ Flavien Prat rides Belle Hill.